The Vietnam War was a conflict of the communist government of North Vietnam and its allies, the Viet Cong, in South Vietnam versus the South Vietnam government and the United States, its principal ally. The war lasted from 1954 to 1975 with the United States entering the war in 1965.
The U.S. saw a threat to national security interests with the spread of communism and was determined to end it. Protests against the escalating roles of the United States in the war began with demonstrations in 1964, and grew into a nationwide social movement. Protestors argued that entering the war to stop communist expansion was unjustifiable or an intervention into a foreign civil war. Additionally, extensive television coverage enabled people to see the violence and damage of the war, giving protestors moral ground to argue that the war was too devastating to continue keeping U.S. citizens there.
The United States completely withdrew from Vietnam on March 29, 1973, and the war officially ended on April 30, 1975. The Vietnam War had been the longest war the US had fought in up to that point in history, and the most controversial. Estimated soldier and civilian casualties range from 966,000 to 3.812 million. There were an estimated 58,318 U.S. soldier casualties alone. A total of 9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the Vietnam era, with over 2,709,000 Americans serving in Vietnam, about 9.7% of the generation. Also, 7,484 women served in Vietnam, 83.5% being nurses.
Important Dates in March
The Month of March has many important days. Here are a few:
Women’s History Month
March 3 – Navy Reserve birthday
March 4 – Hug a GI Day
March 5 – Seabee birthday
March 13 – Daylight Savings Time begins
March 13 – K-9 Veterans Day
March 15 – American Legion birthday
March 17 – St. Patrick’s Day
March 21 – Rosie The Riveter Day
March 25 – Medal of Honor Day
March 29 – National Vietnam War Veterans Day.
Till next week, praying for all service members.
– Charles Castelluccio
